hawkshaw

It could be from a poor-quality converter but it could also be from a "ground loop." A ground loop is created when two items are grounded at different points where there is a small potential difference between those two points. This will cause the voltage difference to flow between those two devices which may become audible as hum. Here's the Google search results for the term.

You can get essentially the same function by setting the "preset" volume control. Then just press the button on the left side of the steering wheel and it'll turn down the volume instantly.

I have a Mark Levinson system in my 2006 LS 430; I'm sure it is similar. The system does not have CD-Text capability and since so few audio CDs are encoded with CD-Text, I don't suppose it matters much. Sure, it'd be nice, but fewer than 10% of CDs have it (I'm guessing). Also, my info display for XM Radio is limited to about ten characters. I believe the deficiency lies in Toyota's XM tuner and not in the audio system itself, and yes, I was disappointed as well. The built-in RDS for FM stations display significantly more than ten characters.

Well, if it's anything like my 2006 LS430 Mark Levinson with navigation, there is a "DSP" menu in which the system can be optimized for different seating positions within the car, including one setting which is specific for the driver only. There is also a "Sound" menu where balance, fade, treble, mid and bass, can be adjusted.

Maybe you can get a club member who wants to switch from Sirius to XM to sell a factory module to you. You might check with Toyota clubs as well. This, of course, assumes that a 2006 Sirius unit would be compatible with your 2007 model.

Several years ago I replaced several radio and instrument panel lamps in my old 1995 SC 400. The job is not for the faint of heart and took the large part of a day to complete. You have to carefully disassemble the dash and then the radio. Then you need to figure out what lamp(s) are out and order them from Lexus if they don't have them in stock, which is what happened in my case. Did the illumination go out suddenly? Does it seem like more than one lamp might be out? It's probably just the lamps but it could be something more serious. For reference, I took photos of the dash and bulb types so it'd be easier to identify what was out in case I needed to do it again. I've attached a photo for the heck of it. Sorry I don't have photos of the radio.

I know that you've probably already done this, but you must activate the Bluetooth connection in the phone. It is not on by default.

I had an odd experience today. I was listening to a CD on my Mark Levinson system in my 2006 LS 430. I made a quick phone call via the Bluetooth hands-free system with the CD still running. When my call was complete, I tried to return to the CD but got no audio. I tried everything (switching to FM, SAT, etc.). I made another phone call to see if the system would "remember" to switch back on. It didn't. The only thing I didn't try was turning off the phone, however there was no indication on the phone that a call was in progress. So, as a last resort, I pulled to the side of the road, turned off the ignition, then started it up again (re-boot?). It worked. I've had my car for two months now and this is the first time this has happened. I hope it's the last. Am I the only one?

I have a 2006 Modern Luxury Package vehicle and was thinking about adding on the power door closers. I'd expect that the wiring is already installed and all I'd need to do is plug them in. Has anyone done this? Any idea as to how much they cost? Are they only for the front doors or do the rear doors have them also?

I got mine from L-Tuned and installed them last week. Did all four in about an hour and a half. They look great, are color-matched to the vehicle and best of all, they work! I was tired of having splashes fully across the front doors after every trip through a puddle. Why don't they come standard? If anyone wants some close-up photos, I'd be happy to post them. I was browsing through the L-Tuned site today and was eyeing the Toyota of Japan side skirts. Anyone tried them? On another note: Does anyone have the "discount code" for the L-Tuned site?

Mine's a dealer-install in a 2006 LS430, so it's fully integrated into the system. My suggestion for the antenna placement was because that's where the dealer installed mine. As far as FM vs. cassette adaptor, I've seen a lot of complaints about sound quality on XM/Sirius and iPod discussion lists. The consensus seems to be that as far as sound quality goes, the FM transmitters are consistently inferior. You might do some research--perhaps on these forums--to determine if there's any way to integrate your unit directly into the system (perhaps an aftermarket adaptor). This would, of course, give you the best sound quality and no ugly cassette adaptors.

You might be able to mount the antenna inside the rear deck for aestheic reasons. Because glass doesn't block radio signals it works fine on my LS430. One more thing: You may not like the appearance of the cassette adaptor, but it'll sound better than the FM transmitter-type kits.

Does anyone know of a source for genuine Lexus side turn signals for the 2006 LS430? Does the U.S. model have a mount or knock-out or pre-wiring for them? Just curious. Thanks!

I haven't given up yet. I asked the local service manager to get the specifications of the antenna for me and he assured me that he would. It's been a week. I'll give him a few more days to come up with an answer.

You probably would be able to activate it with either Verizon or Cingular but you might not want to bother. Your phone is analog and, as I've recently learned, the FCC has ruled that providers are required to offer analog service up to Feb. 12, 2008. So you might get two more years of service out of it.

Thanks jainla! So the mystery deepens. Here I was thinking that the Lexus Link was a satellite-based service when it's really not. So that antenna must work on some of the cellular/GSM bands--just what I was hoping for. So now what I need to find are all of the technical specifications for the first generation of Lexus Link. That'll tell me what I need to know. Lexus says that first-generation Lexus Link is analog. That means that it's a virtual certainty that the antenna is designed for the 824-894 MHz cellular band; hard to say about the 1850-1990 MHz band. Lexus Link is contracted to OnStar, which uses Verizon as a carrier. Right now I have the trunk torn apart so I can examine the navigation controller area. I found the terminus of a coaxial cable that I'm certain goes to the antenna. It has a non-standard square-ish connector so hooking up to it won't be easy. Can anyone help me find the technical specs on the first-generation Lexus Link? Alternatively, having the specs for the defunct Lexus dual-mode phone should answer the question as well.

The saga continues: I spoke with the "expert" at my local dealer today. He said that it appears that there is only a single coaxial cable coming from the GPS antenna and that it terminates into the GPS unit. He says that the optional Lexus Link (similar to OnStar) hooks up to that unit and makes use of the GPS antenna. It appears to him that the antenna cannot be used with a standard cellular or GSM telephone--not what Lexus Customer Satisfaction says. So, now I've called Lexus Customer Satisfaction again today to try to get to the bottom of this. I'd prefer not to replace the existing antenna and go through the apparently major job of removing the headliner. I'd prefer a clean installation as opposed to drilling a hole in the trunk. The antenna would work better on the roof anyway. I can't believe that I'm the first person ever to want to do this. :( Update: Lexus Customer Satisfaction just called and confirmed that the antenna only operates with the Lexus Link, not a cell phone. So I will attempt to remove the headliner and replace the existing GPS antenna with the Hirschmann 916 V Flex antenna which does do the job. Time to start a new thread: "How to remove the headliner in an LS 430 without setting off the curtain air bags."

While evaluating the navigation system in my 2006 LS430, I discovered that California State University, Northridge--a 34,000-student public university--does not appear in a "higher education" search on the system. It can be found listed as "Cal State Northridge" via text but only appears as a field with buildings and no icon or text. Meanwhile, the long-defunct Prairie Street Elementary School which is now a Cal State Northridge parking lot, is displayed with full text on the map. I have the latest 2006-issued DVD in the system. Does anyone know whom to contact, if any, to see if they can update this on the next DVD?

I inquired with Lexus Customer Satisfaction about a possible built-in cellular antenna. Here's the response: Thank you for contacting Lexus Customer Satisfaction. We are dedicated to providing superior service. In circumstances that require our attention, we will assist in the resolution process. We appreciate your interest in the Lexus brand. The 2006 LS 430 is equipped with a Glass-imprinted antenna system in the rear window and a roof-mounted fixed antenna. The Lexus phone system is integrated into the vehicle. It is pre wired to work with the vehicle's audio, electronic, and climate control systems. Listed below are the function, benefit, and details of the AM/FM radio antenna system. Function: AM/FM radio antenna system with FM diversity receptor is imprinted in the rear glass; the fixed antenna on the roof can be used for the Lexus cell phone Benefit: Diversity receptor strengthens FM reception; phone antenna does not have to be added when phone is installed Details: The LS 430’s rear window features a rear glass-imprinted antenna system that provides AM/FM stereo reception. The vehicle’s radio receiver compares signals from two different types of FM antennas imprinted in the glass and chooses the stronger one. In addition, the LS 430 comes standard with a roof-mounted fixed antenna that can be used for the available Lexus cell phone. What wasn't answered was how I access the built-in antenna and the specifications (e.g., is it unity gain; frequency coverage; etc.). I"ll have to find someone knowledgeable at the dealer service department. On another note, Hirschmann says the GPS 940 V Flex isn't available in the U.S. and isn't recommended for U.S. cellular frequencies.

Yes, SKperformance, the Motorola RAZR V3 does have a port for an external antenna. I want a permanently-mounted antenna, but intend to use the magnet-mount antennas for evaluation purposes only. Thanks again, Jim, for the response and for the link to the Lexus UK site. I've updated my profile to indicate that my LS430 is indeed, a 2006 model. I had time to do some serious Googling today and I think I've found the solution: Hirschmann makes a series of combination GPS/GSM/cellular antennas and some of them appear to be nearly a direct replacement for the existing GPS antenna. One in particular, the GPS 940 V Flex, looks like it'll be perfect; it even has 5.1 db gain for cellular. Take a look at ftp://ftp.hirschmann.de/pub/montage/GPS_940_V_FLEX.pdf for the data sheet. The full line can be seen at http://www.hirschmann-car.com. In the meantime, I'm waiting for a reply from Lexus customer service with regard to the possible in-glass antenna option.

Thanks, 1990LS400, for such a comprehensive reply. I didn't know that there might be the possibility of an in-glass cellular antenna. If it still exists in the new models, Lexus keeps this a secret. Not wanting to drill a hole in my brand-new car, I inquired with one of the parts guys at the dealer to determine if there was such a thing as a dual cellular-GPS antenna to replace the standard rear roof-mounted GPS antenna. He assured me that there was no such thing. Maybe there's an aftermarket solution that I haven't yet found. I toyed with the idea of a glass-mount antenna on the rear window but I didn't like the aesthetics of it being off-center and so close to the GPS antenna. Also, there's a rather large signal loss in the through-the-glass coupling along with the potenial for wind noise associated with a 3 to 5 db gain antenna (I experienced this with my 1998 LS400). I also thought about the on-glass "decal" antennas and those similar to what you mentioned. The rear antenna/defroster interferes, leaving the windshield the only other option, thus putting the antenna near the driver or front passenger--another issue I wanted to avoid. I had seen a photo of the Kuda mounts before and didn't think much, but now seeing better pics, I may consider that option. It seems a more elegant solution. I'll do more complete research on the potential built-in antenna issue before drilling.

I'm trying to assemble the "best" solution for a full hands-free mounting kit with a cradle that connects power and external antenna to my Motorola RAZR V3 GSM Cingular phone. So far, I've found the custom PanaVise 75136-801 cradle bracket and the SmoothTalker BTVHV3IA cradle that automatically connects power and an external antenna to the phone. I've now ordered three Wilson external antennas to try in various positions on the car until I find one that works well, looks good, and doesn't generate wind noise. I think I'll end up drilling a hole and mounting an NMO antenna on the roof or trunk. Here's what should be delivered next week: 301103 Dual-Band Magnet Mount Antenna; 301104 Dual-Band NMO Mount Antenna; 301113 Dual-Band Mini Magnet Antenna I'm going to be using them with a Wilson in-line amplifier. I guess it's kinda late now but has anyone had any experience with a good-looking, well-functioning antenna system?

I know I'm a bit late in replying but I just got XM installed in my 2006 LS. The dealer put a 1.5-inch-sqare antenna inside, next to the center brake light. It looks and works fine. You might check if this is an option for Sirius.